


Dead Mall

by CloudF11



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Aesthetics, Bostonian Slang, Dead Malls, Deathclaws, F/F, Humor, Shopping Malls, abandoned malls, vaporwave
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2019-06-22
Packaged: 2020-05-16 16:34:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19321957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloudF11/pseuds/CloudF11
Summary: The couple ventured onward through the rubble that was the North End. This section of Boston was growing ever more familiar to the pair due to how often they visited the Railroad for work. So when Gene had mentioned that the North End contained a secret building hidden away inside the chaos of Boston, Piper was definitely a little more than skeptical.Gene and Piper visit a dead mall.This was a commission for @vkm11 on tumblr.





	Dead Mall

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Boomba](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Boomba/gifts).



"A dead mall? What the heck is that?"

Gene stopped so suddenly in her tracks that Piper nearly ran into her. She turned quickly on her heel, in disbelief that Piper didn't know what a dead mall was.

"You don't know what a dead mall is?" Gene asked, completely forgetting the fact that Piper wasn't around to experience the awesomeness that was the mall. 

Piper chuckled. "C'mon, Blue. I was unlucky enough to be born in a different time period as you. Or, well… lucky, but… you get my point."

 _Right…_ "Well, hon, let me educate ya."

The vault dweller continued onward through the North End, explaining malls to Piper, and eventually got to what a "dead mall" was.

"So, it's just an abandoned mall?" Piper asked, checking for confirmation.

"Yep. It's wicked cool. I think you'll like it."

The couple ventured onward through the rubble that was the North End. This section of Boston was growing ever more familiar to the pair due to how often they visited the Railroad for work. So when Gene had mentioned that the North End contained a secret building hidden away inside the chaos of Boston, Piper was definitely a little more than skeptical.

However, Piper was wrong. From where her and Gene were standing, she could see a large building peeking out from the ruins. 

“Alright. Bang a right up here, and we’ll be there,” Gene said, resting a hand on her 10mm.

“Bang a _what_ now?”   
  
“You’ve never heard that —” Gene faltered. “Turn a right, I mean.”   
  
_Oh, Bostonian slang, you’re so damn confusing,_ Piper thought.

The pair did, indeed, take a right. The dead mall and all its glory came into view. A wide smile grew on Gene’s face. While a part of her was a bit upset that the apocalypse had ruined what was left of the mall, the rest of her realized that the end of the world would only heighten the experience of her beloved dead malls. While the North End Mall was certainly in a dilapidated condition before the war, it would definitely be more “dead” now.  

In contrast, Piper was still skeptical. They had been to the North End so many times, and somehow had missed this huge building. If anything, Piper was concerned mostly for her and her wife’s safety. Who knows what could be lurking inside the depths of this unexplored building? Regardless, Piper continued on by Gene’s side, a sense of curiosity rising. 

As the two went through the main entrance, they were greeted with several smaller stores on the left and right, and a big escalator in front of them.

Gene slapped her hand against one of the walls, exclaiming, “These big boys can fit so many fuckin’ stores in ‘em.”

Piper laughed at Gene’s stupid joke. Just then, a bunch of tiny bugs came crawling out of a hole in the wall. Gene immediately pulled her hand away.   
  
“Seems like they can fit a lot of bugs in them, too,” Piper joked.

The two trekked forward, peeking in every little spot and every abandoned store for any odds and ends they could pick up. A Grognak comic here, an old music holotape there… The dead mall was a scavver’s dream. They’d come across the occasional ghoul corpse, and sometimes still water illuminated by the dim neon lights that were still barely working. The mall had a very eerie feel to it, but that was a given. A place that had once held so much life and vibrancy now reduced to rubble. Eerie was an understatement.

"This place gives me the willies," Piper commented, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Yeah, but its got some wicked aesthetics, too. The creepiness makes it better," Gene said in reply.

Suddenly, a gasp came from Gene, just as they passed an old shoe store. She rushed inside, and returned to Piper, beholding her prize. In her hands was a pair of neon light blue and neon pink high top shoes.

Only two words came out of her mouth. _"Wicked pissa."_

Piper walked over, inspecting the shoes. "And they're not too beat up, either. Nice find, Blue!"

Gene quickly put her prize away in her bag, proud of her find. The two continued through the first two floors of the four floor mall, finding even more neat things along the way. Piper collected several comics and a camera, while Gene found herself a new bomber jacket that matched her new shoes.

The third floor, though, was a whole new monster.

"I don't like the feeling of this," Gene said, as they made their way up to the third floor. "It's a lot more sketchy up here."

The neon lights that dimly illuminated the other floors of the building were no longer on. There was a large hole in the ceiling above them, giving them a view of the final floor. Part of the ceiling had caved in, making a walkway up to the final floor. Several dead ghouls littered the fallen ceiling. The ceiling of the next floor had also fallen, the rubble scattering the floor. From this hole, Piper and Gene could see that night was slowly coming upon them.

Despite her anxiety, Gene was still determined to explore, while Piper thought differently.

"I dunno, Blue. Do you really think it's a good idea? I'm a bit anxious about this."

"So don't I," Gene agreed, "but we're almost done. We can't just leave a dead mall half explored!"

Piper sighed. "Well, alright. But if we get ambushed by something, I blame you."

"And I'll gladly take the blame, hon."

There was nothing particularly exciting on the third floor. All they really found was ghoul corpses and dust. Most of the shops were in complete disarray, and the ones that weren't had items that were in horrible condition.

"Well, this sucks," Gene stated. "At least we got some wicked stuff in the process. You ready to head home, Piper?"

The reporter didn't get the time to reply, as out of the blue, a raider corpse was thrown from the fourth floor.

"Oh, _pissa!_ " Gene exclaimed, pulling out _Old Faithful,_ her trusty shotgun. Piper pulled out a rifle of her own.

"I told you, Gene!" Piper said, aiming her rifle in the direction the thrown body came from.

"It had to be big to throw a body that far," Gene said. "Whatever it is, we're in some serious trouble."

"Light dawns on Marblehead!" Piper replied, using the only slang term she really knew. Despite their situation, Gene narrowed her eyes at her wife in jest, before focusing back on the issue before them.

"Should I whip a grenade in 'ere?"

"Try it. Maybe it'll lure out whatever the heck is back there," Piper answered. 

Reaching into her bag, Gene pulled out a frag grenade, pulled the pin, and threw it up into the next floor. As it exploded, a loud howl came from the fourth floor.

Then, the monster emerged. A deathclaw.

"Shit! Deathclaw!" Piper shouted as she began shooting at the beast.

Gene grabbed Piper by the arm and dragged her to cover, right before the deathclaw swiped its claws in her direction.

"Holy fuck," Piper breathed out. "Thanks, Gene."

The vault dweller nodded, before retrieving another fragmentation grenade. She launched it in the deathclaw's direction, and it blew up the moment it hit the ground. The deathclaw roared, stumbling backward in pain. With each heavy step back, the floor creaked, and the ground shook.

The two took advantage of this and began shooting at the deathclaw. The beast roared as each bullet hit its stomach, and didn't have time to recover.

Gene ducked behind cover to reload, and Piper did the same shortly after. Just as they were about to fire upon the beast again, they heard even louder stomping. Peaking their heads out from their cover, they saw the deathclaw charging at them. They bailed out from behind their cover just in time, as the deathclaw jumping toward them.

However, that wasn't the least of their worries. As soon as the deathclaw hit the ground, the floor beneath them crumbled away, sending the couple and the deathclaw tumbling to the next floor.

"Fuck!" Gene exclaimed as she landed on a piece of rubble. As she slowly stood, seething in pain, there was no sight of the deathclaw that was pursuing them.

Taking a quick glance around the room, she found Piper a few feet behind her, slowly rising to her feet. Despite her pain, she walked over to her wife, and helped her stand.

"You alright, hon?" Gene asked.

Piper groaned. "I think I twisted my ankle, but other than that I'm fine. What about you?"

Gene rested a hand on her back. "I landed on my back. I'm lucky I didn't break anything. Stupid masshole…"

"Speaking of which, where did that damn deathclaw go?" Piper asked.

"I dunno. I haven't heard it, or seen it."

The two limped through the rubble, trying to find any sign of the deathclaw, weapons drawn. Eventually, Piper called Gene over.

"I found 'em! The 'claw is dead. Look!"

Surely enough, the deathclaw was caught underneath tons of rubble, unmoving. There was a collective sigh of relief from the two, and soon enough, a tight embrace.

Gene's words were muffled by Piper's shoulder. "Thank God that's over."

"Hey. At least you got some aesthetically cool things, Gene."

Gene pulled away slightly, and laughed.

**Author's Note:**

> Well would you look at that? Cloud wrote a fanfiction for Fallout? It's more likely than you think.
> 
> I'm tryin'.


End file.
